June Carter Perry facts for kids

June Carter Perry was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, on November 13, 1943. She is a very important American diplomat who used to be an ambassador. An ambassador represents their country in another country. She was the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone and Lesotho. In 2016, she was honored in the Arkansas Hall of Fame.

Education and Early Career

June Carter Perry went to college at Loyola University in Chicago. She earned a degree in history in 1965. Later, she studied European History at the University of Chicago, getting her master's degree in 1967. Loyola University gave her an award in 2011 for her great work in diplomacy.

Before becoming a diplomat, Perry taught history at the University of Maryland College Park from 1969 to 1970. She also worked in radio as a public affairs director and broadcaster for WGMS/RKO Radio in Washington, D.C. She was also a special assistant for the Community Services Administration. Later, she became the public affairs director for the Peace Corps, the ACTION agency, and VISTA.

Diplomatic Service

June Carter Perry had a long and important career in diplomacy. She worked for the U.S. Department of State.

Working Around the World

From 1998 to 2000, she was the deputy ambassador in Madagascar. This means she was the second-in-command at the U.S. Embassy there. Before that, from 1996 to 1997, she was in the Central African Republic. During a military mutiny, she helped coordinate other diplomats.

Helping from Washington, D.C.

In Washington, D.C., she was the director of the Office of Social and Humanitarian Affairs from 2002 to 2004. In this role, she helped the U.S. work with United Nations committees. Before that, she was a diplomat at Howard University from 2001 to 2002.

Ambassador to Lesotho and Sierra Leone

From 2004 to 2007, June Carter Perry was the U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho. While there, she helped get funding for the first water delivery system across the country. This helped many people get clean water.

After Lesotho, she became the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2009. Sierra Leone was recovering from a long civil war. Ambassador Perry helped the country during this important time. She also worked on a campaign to fight HIV/AIDS in the country.

After Retirement

June Carter Perry returned to the U.S. in 2009 and retired from the U.S. Department of State in January 2010. After retiring, she continued to share her knowledge. From 2011 to 2012, she was a visiting professor at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. In 2013, she was a guest lecturer at the University of Missouri Columbia.

She also served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations. These included Africare and the Washington Commission on the Humanities. She was also the chair of the Federal City Public Service Foundation from 2011 to 2015. Today, she is on the board of directors for American Diplomacy Publishers.